DPR CONSTRUCTION
Comprehensive design system, corporate site, proposal system, branding and collateral for one of the largest general contractors in the U.S.
Role: Creative Director and Design Lead
A Decade of Design
Over the course of 10 years, I partnered with many groups across the company to create systems and tools that helped win billions of dollars in business.
Initially, I consulted on brand architecture and provided design support on a contract basis. I continued supporting the design and marketing growth on a wider range of projects through an agency I worked with. My role changed to in-house creative director, and I led the overhaul of internal and public facing web properties, and the refresh of a previously developed proposal system.
I filled many roles in both design and leadership while working alongside various disciplines and organizational structures. From walking construction sites evaluating signage to creating annual reports for investors, I have had a unique opportunity to influence the growing identity of DPR Construction.
Templates, Libraries and Documentation
Clothing, Equipment, Signage and Events
Templates, Libraries and Documentation
Creating a source of truth for vetted brand assets.
As the company grew, it became challenging for teams to know which assets were approved, how to use them, and who to ask if they needed help.
Our first step was creating a centralized asset location. This library contained vetted elements that anyone could use to quickly create materials aligned with the main DPR brand. Templates were created to support things like blog posts, social media promotion and site signage.
Design and marketing teams had access to libraries of core elements that allowed more flexible implementation in partnership with the brand team.
Making existing brand elements usable in modern applications.
To accommodate higher resolution screens and varied use cases, we redrew all the original IP to create vector versions that could be adjusted to meet display and production requirements.
While refining foundational elements, we focused on developing an approachable technical style to augment the brand. Additional iconography, color, photography, illustrations, and a tone of voice overhaul supported the growth of volunteering, recruiting, employee engagement and events.
Brand guidelines for colors, typography, project sites, events, personal protective equipment, crane signs, tone of voice, social media best practices and much more.
Office graphics prominently feature brand slogans, local photography, custom artwork, energy efficient fixtures and green elements.
Audience segments to guide new design systems.
Logo files for large format signs and engravings were accessible to teams for branding new offices.
Milestone years are marked with a celebration seal featured on stickers and gifts to employees and business partners.
Maintaining and updating core IP was done with care to bring it forward without removing the initial vision or intent.
Templates enabled social media teams to quickly post content for events and initiatives.
Clothing, Equipment, Signage and Events
Design and production across material spectrums from pad printing to crane signs.
Defining a company clothing style
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) received an overhaul to align the jobsite style. Vendors and manufacturers were selected based on the range of sizes available to fit different body types and customization of colors and print areas. Suppliers in each global location needed to be able to provide items that aligned and were available at a reasonable cost and timeline.
We looked for suppliers with sizes that fit our diverse workforce while being cost effective and easy to brand. People across the company often spent time both onsite and in an office, and it was important that branded gear and company swag reflected that reality.
Implementing changes on active jobsites
The initial brand alignment effort was enormous, lasting many years. With hundreds of projects active, rebranding the sites was tackled as a phased approach. New projects received all new materials, while in-progress projects received updated materials as timelines allowed.
Creating reusable event materials
Design for big events was simplified and dates were removed to create an evergreen style that reduced waste. We created stickers, cooling towels, water bottles, hats and similar items to augment core clothing. We wanted items that were usable on construction sites and in offices.
Iconography
Design of over 400 custom icons.
The icons appear on various materials including websites, guidebooks, social media, signage, office decor and swag. The icons are part of everyday life at DPR.
How to create icons that fit within the technically whimsical style.
A selection of industry, benefits and cultural icons in use at DPR.
Conceptual rendering of an icon band for a conference room.
Each concept was drawn several times so teams could choose which version conveyed the topic best. Variations were often used in different projects.
Icons on fields of color are used while photos are being sourced or to represent a concept.
Icon textures are a common design element across the company.
Icons are featured throughout the website as design elements.
Formal materials feature icon fields recolored to align with themes and topics.
Posters and signs use icons as design elements and to represent concepts for a multilingual audience.
Icons for conference room banner decoration.
Proposal System
Building and maintaining a proposal system used for every RFP.
The proposal system is used to submit a proposal for every project the company pursues. It is used across the company by thousands of people and has been adapted for the extended family of companies to use as well. The system required digital and print versions, US and ISO formats, and ease of use across a range of skill levels.
I designed the initial proposal system in 2016, which was used until 2022 when I lead the design refresh and extension. Working closely with people who submitted proposals, we spent time identifying frustrations and feature requests. These findings were incorporated into updates that were tested on real pursuits while we continued refinements.
The proposals contain basic navigational elements and accessibility tagging for digital versions. The same proposal can be displayed on screen or printed without needing to reformat the content. Margins and hit areas were considered during testing to encompass as many use cases as possible.
The template supports CRM code injections, Adobe libraries and interactive navigational elements.
Example decks and generic layouts were created for marketers to quickly assemble proposals.
Example pages recolored to match core markets and showcase layout flexibility during the design process.
Each format had custom design templates and example decks.
The entire proposal was designed to be quickly recolored by replacing the neon placeholders. Each core market has a predetermined color scheme.
Guides, grids and block areas were all available to help marketers create proposals.
Trade Publication
Process improvements across all channels for a semiannual newsletter.
This owned media aims to connect with employees, equipment suppliers, trade partners, and project owners in a celebratory way; being strategically targeted at retaining employees and continuing to win more work through existing relationships. It is focused on major projects, cultural stories and innovations in construction across the company.
Collection view and cover for issue 8.
The base template consisted of pages that could be easily referenced and swapped to build an edition.
An example of a flatplan with risks identified.
Stories for print are edited for length, with links to the full story online.
The entire story is presented on the web, along with photos and videos.
An example of an A/B test we ran through Mailchimp.
A collection was designed as a view of the media feed, consisting of existing entry types. Leveraging components in production, only a few new visual elements were needed to create the collection experience. The primary lift was CMS feature development.
Updating dpr.com
An overhaul consisting of analysis, design, accessibility improvements, new features and CMS management.
Constrained by a web presence stretching back decades, the team was tasked with upgrading the site to be a modern instance of its former self.
With over 800 publicly listed projects—that are cross tagged to documents, blog posts, people, locations and expertise—the website contains a vast amount of information. A bespoke front end, built on modern HTML, JavaScript, and Tailwind CSS, is deeply integrated with a rebuilt CMS. All of the tagged items can be incrementally added to the site as initiatives call for them.
Visual accessibility and information architecture improvements drove many design decisions and helped shape a fresh iteration of DPR’s online presence.
Design analysis and recommendations to improve the mobile UX of the existing site.
To minimize additional costs, the existing website was deconstructed into modules and text blocks that could then be reused to create new views. Organizing and documenting components helped speed up future design work.
The front end design budget was redirected to rebuilding the custom CMS and migrating content to fix missing functionality and relationships.
We designed the site to feature our extensive library of professional project photos.
The design portion of the site also included a complete overhaul of colors and font sizes to be WCAG 2.1 AA compliant. This color check grid is a quick reference to help people create visually accessible web content.
Filters and pagination were introduced to handle over 800 project listings.
The site design puts imagery front and center, while balancing story pages with long form content.
Presentations and Training Materials
Presentations ranged from informal to polished event presentations. Topics included best practices, annual reports, information or instructions, performance reporting and end of project summaries.
A diagram used to explain how a phased release could be implemented during app development.
Presentation deck accompanying the rollout of a custom Office theme file.
Quick reference for WCAG 2.1 AA compliant web colors.
Performance reporting summaries were presented to leadership, they included data and links to relevant content.
Quarterly market conditions reports.
Industry event presentations.
GALLERY
